Sea of Thieves: The Legend of Monkey Island is a perfect marriage of two pirate games

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I like Sea of Thieves and have enjoyed playing it here and there. I love Monkey Island. The classic LucasArts/LucasFilm Games series of puzzle-based pirate adventures has been a huge part of my gaming career.

So, yeah, I was pretty stoked when Sea of Thieves — available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC — announced that it was creating a new campaign set in the world of Monkey Island. But the actual experience did more for me than I was expecting.

Right now, you can access the first of three parts of The Legend of Monkey Island. Players are tasked with travelling to Melee Island, the first setting in the original game in the series, The Secret of Monkey Island.

Just seeing Melee Island in a 3D environment was stunning. Yes, we technically had that in 2000’s Escape from Monkey Island, but that was a pretty limited take on the location. Here, Rare has recreated much of Melee as it appeared in The Secret of Monkey Island. You can even find special barrels to sit on that recreate the viewpoint from the original, 2D game. The moment when you first approach the island on your ship, as it comes into view out of the fog and the iconic Monkey Island theme begins to play, gave me actual chills.

If that’s all this project was, a chance to explore Melee Island in a 3D environment, that alone would have made me happy. But this is a mini-Monkey Island experience. While normal Sea of Thieves centers on sailing and treasure hunting, this campaign puts an emphasis on puzzle solving. For example, you’ll come across a dog that has a bone you need. You’ll have to figure out how to get that good boy to give up the bone.

And, by